AMA will help you
find the perfect
vacation to Belize—
whether you’re
looking for flights,
packages or even
a guided adventure
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
JOURNEYS EXPLORE BELIZE
G Adventures
depArt Oct. 2017–dec. 2018
10-day guided adventure
of Belize, including
immersive cultural
experiences. Take part in
a Garifuna drum lesson,
tour a hot sauce factory,
navigate through
Mayan ruins and relax
on pristine beaches
cAll A trAvel speciAlist:
1-866-667-4777
36
WINTER 2017
AMA INsIdER
SEE IT
WITH AMA!
Garifuna made their way from St.
Vincent via Roatán, Honduras and
onto Belize in the 1830s, when it was
known as British Honduras. Visitors
learn first-hand about the Garifuna
by tasting hudutu, a hearty fish and
coconut-milk soup served with a side
of mashed plantain, at one of the many
local restaurants. Or listen to street
performers playing punta and
paranda, two styles of music fueled by
drums and maracas. Those who want
to go a step further can take a class in
drumming at the Lebeha Drumming
Center. Would-be percussionists learn
hand-drumming techniques and
discover more about the importance of
music to Garifuna culture.
As in many areas of Central
America, Belize’s rainforest and
wildlife are under threat. That
includes two indigenous primates,
the Geoffroy’s spider monkey and
Yucatán black howler monkey. At the
Community Baboon Sanctuary in the
village of Bermudian Landing, visitors
venture through the trees to meet
the resident monkey population. The
sanctuary is run by a local women’s
The ancient ruins of Lamanai
group and works with the community
to protect the monkeys and their
religious ceremonies and sacrifices, the
habitat. To help support the sanctuary,
ATM features ancient ceramics and
travel companies like G Adventures
human bones. But the main attrac-
include the facility on their tours.
tion rests at the end of the cave, past an
Another women’s organization
expansive area called The Cathedral.
working with the community and
Here you’ll find the ghoulish Crystal
tourists is the San Antonio Women’s
Maiden, a complete calcified skeleton
Cooperative in southern
of a teen girl, an apparent sac-
Belize. Offering lunch and
rifice to the rain god Chaac.
hands-on tortilla-making
For some modern comfort
classes, the cooperative has
after such intrepid explo-
AMA Extra
made it a mission to educate
ration, head by bus to the
WestJet flies
themselves, their fellow
coastal town of Hopkins,
weekly non-
stop between
villagers and visitors about
a two-hour drive south of
calgary and
Mayan history through
Belize City. A decidedly
Belize. Book
with AMA:
cuisine and art.
different kind of resort area,
AMATravel.ca/
The group was founded to
Hopkins doesn’t have large
Air
encourage women to reclaim
chain hotels—or even a paved
their past by creating pottery
road. But there are many fam-
in the style of their ancestors. It also
ily-run resorts, friendly locals and an
added a training program to provide
endless beachfront. This is a welcome
work for unemployed youth in the
spot for laid-back sun-seekers and
community. By trial and error, the
swimmers who don’t mind sharing the
women have learned how to make
Caribbean Sea with manatees. (Belize
their own ceramics, using the ancient
boasts Central America’s largest popu-
techniques of sourcing clay from
lation of the gentle marine mammal.)
fields and creating natural paint from
This part of Belize is also home to
rainforest plants. The co-op has a gift
the Garifuna, a civilization descended
shop selling handmade creations, such
from Arawak and Carib Indians. The